The Weeknd reveals significance of bandaging full face ahead of Super Bowl 2021 show

R&B superstar The Weeknd has pulled off a series of facial transformations in the lead up to his Super Bowl 2021 performance. The 30-year-old is the headline act for the Super Bowl half-time show and appeared full-tact unlike in his previous appearances where he has been seen heavily bandaged. The transformation has been in line with his bad-night-in-Las-Vegas storyline, which was first revealed during his “After Hours” album cycle. 

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The Weeknd Super Bowl: Superstar reveals reason behind face bandages 

In an exclusive chat with Variety, The Weeknd said that his appearances with face bandages was to reflect on the absurd culture of Hollywood celebrities and people manipulating themselves for superficial reasons to please and be validated. The R&B star appeared with his nose bandaged started before having his face fully wrapped in bandages during his explosive appearance in the American Music Awards in November. The Weeknd said that the look was all a progression of his character's storyline hitting heightened levels of danger and absurdity as his tale goes on. 

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The Blinding Lights singer also said that being attractive was not important to him but a compelling narrative was. When quizzed on why he chose to drift in and out of character, the 30-year-old said he wanted to play with the character and the artist and let those lines blur and move around the narrative. The bad night in Las Vegas storyline starts off with a few too many drinks and a fight, but then the story becomes more surreal, apparently involving possession by an evil spirit, decapitation and more.

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While it is uncertain whether The Weeknd will sport a similar look for the Super Bowl 2021, the 30-year-old did appear intact when appearing in the Pepsi commercial which released earlier this week. The Weeknd can be seen taking a reflective walk through the tunnel of a football stadium. The commercial sees a montage of his past music videos playing on the wall as a reflective voiceover narrates the journey leading up to the Super Bowl field, where a cheering stadium awaits him. 

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In reality, the Raymond James Stadium is expected to only be filled to about a third of its usual capacity due to social distancing precautions with only 22,000 fans allowed for the game. The 30-year-old Canadian, whose real name is Abel Makkonen Tesfaye, has sold more than 75 million records globally and topped the UK and US music charts in 2020 with his fourth studio album, After Hours. Justin Timberlake, Lady Gaga, Beyonce and Prince highlight a list of some of the biggest names to perform at half-time of football's biggest show. The Super Bowl is scheduled to take place on Sunday, February 7 (Monday, February 8 IST).

(Image Courtesy: The Weeknd Instagram)